Water Tribe Romance 2
by Kira73
Summary: This is a sequel to WTR, which I'm currently uploading as In Her Hands. Namika wants nothing more than to rule her tribe, but when she's lured into an inescapable marriage, she flees, finding herself sailing toward love. BatoXoc. Hahn,Hakoda,Arnook too.
1. Prologue

_**Here's the sequel to In Her Hands, also known as Water Tribe Romance. This is Bato and Nami's romance and--with exception to the prologue--picks up where the first left off. The prologue takes place the night before Kita sneaks onto the Fire Navy ship.**_

_**Like the first WTR, this will romance will be mature. **_

* * *

**Water Tribe Romance 2**

**Prologue**

"That's impossible." Chief Arnook gripped the icy sill of the window to his study so hard that small chunks broke free and fell to the courtyard four stories below. He breathed a heavy exhale out into the frigid evening air, which left his lips as an agitated cloud of mist before evaporating away to nothing over the frozen Northern Water Tribe capital city.

_His_ city—for now.

For how much longer would be up to the Great Spirits.

This revelation couldn't have come at a worse time. "I don't understand how that could be. He's dated girls before, Ana. This has to be some kind of joke he's playing on us both to shirk his birthright." Except the joke wasn't funny in the slightest.

"I saw no jest in my son's eyes when he refused your offer for the Chiefdom." Four of Anana's daintily gloved fingers curved around his shoulder and squeezed, offering him little comfort. "I'm sorry but I am afraid this is no joke, as much as I wish it were." The hand dropped from his shoulder to stifle a sob. "I cannot believe it. My only son..."

The pain in his sister's voice was more than palpable. At the moment Arnook wanted to throttle his nephew senseless for putting it there, though such rash actions wouldn't solve a thing. Not a damned thing. The Northern Water Tribal lands would still be left without a leader from his line in the near future.

He turned from the window, trying his best to maintain the strong and stoic façade his sister had come to expect. Since her husband had been killed in the Fire Navy raid last winter and their parents had passed decades ago, Arnook was all she had to help her through what must be devastating news to any parent—save the one of death.

Arnook pushed that memory away. Now wasn't the time to grieve for his late daughter. Soon he would have his chance to walk with her. "Irnik is still very young. Maybe this is just a phase for him. Spirits, he hangs around the armory all the time and sees no one but men all day so I can understand these... these urges he's having." Arnook winced at his words the instant he uttered them. He _didn't_ understand, but that was beside the point. "Perhaps if you introduce him to some of the single girls from the hospital he might change his—"

"He won't," she interrupted, holding up her hands in defeat. "I've already offered the same suggestion, but Irnik refuses to spend another day pretending something he's not just to fit in."

"Well maybe he needs someone to remind him this is not about 'fitting' in. This is not some game we're playing. The future of his tribe is at stake here." Arnook knew that wasn't completely true. His people had weathered far worse than a simple change in leadership. "Does he understand that the Chiefdom has been in our family for over two hundred years? That he'll be throwing away an entire legacy?"

"He does and I've explained to him over and over what he's giving up, but he will not change his mind. In fact, he told me that if you want to keep the Chiefdom in the family after you... you..." Tears filled her indigo eyes and Arnook had to glance away to keep from tearing up himself. After wiping her face on the sleeve of her midnight blue parka, she took a deep breath and continued. "He proposed that either I or Namika should marry and the husband whichever one of us takes become the paramount chief."

"What?" His voice resonated off the icy walls of the room. "That's absurd. Never has a woman passed down the Ch—"

"Now I know I'm too old to bear children, but Namika is only twenty-two winters of age." His sister went on, ignoring his protest. "She has plenty of years left to give our line many heirs. And she knows the politics of this tribe better than her brother. Her knowledge would be a useful asset to whomever she marries."

"But only if this flies with the council, though. And if it does... Nami? As a paramount chief's wife?" Despite the direness of his family's situation, Arnook had to bite his lip to stifle a laugh. Not at the idea of Nami in a role of leadership. If his tribe's customs would ever allow it, she would probably make a better chief than he. Half the men of Capital City were already scared of his outspoken hothead of a niece. The other half stayed well out of her way. All of them respected her.

No, it was the idea of her getting married—of her finding someone who could endure her fiery temper—that sounded as preposterous as a thunderstorm in the dead of winter. And entirely hilarious.

Anana, however, wasn't laughing. In fact, she had one raven eyebrow raised like she was awaiting his approval, as if he would ever in his life think of giving it.

"You can't seriously be considering this?" he asked.

"Why not?"

Arnook raised a hand in front of him, signaling the end to this conversation. His nephew's hare brain scheme had disaster written all over it. Without another word, he strode over to his desk to retrieve his whalebone coffer. Come the first light of dawn, Arnook was to depart for the Fire Nation, the reason he'd come up to his study in the first place. He needed to prepare for the trip that very well might be his last.

Anana moved to the front of his desk, watching him in silence as he unlocked the intricately carved white safe box and extracted a sealskin pouch full of water tribe coin. When she finally spoke, her voice was soft yet full of determination. "I haven't mentioned anything to Namika about this yet, but I _have_ thought about the idea. A lot. I know it's extreme, but considering my son's refusal to eventually take a wife, this might be our only solution."

Arnook shut his coffer and ran his fingers along the moon and water symbols his great grandfather carved into the lid. "She will not marry, you know." What he wanted to say but didn't was what man could they find who would agree to marry his niece? The Northern Water Tribe had a severe deficit of available males versus females at the moment, thanks in part to the raid last winter. Even the meeker, more even-tempered ladies—the preferred bride of a water tribesman—had a difficult time gaining husbands.

For a woman like Nami...

"If the offer of paramount chief is on the table as part of Namika's betrothal along with her more than generous dowry, she should have no problem acquiring a husband," Anana said, as if she had read his thoughts. "One who would gladly overlook some of her more... spirited personality traits."

Spirited was putting it lightly, but Arnook simply nodded as he locked his coffer and placed it in his bottom desk drawer.

"And, through me," his sister continued, "You'll be able to choose who shall take your place. You can appoint your successor without looking like you're playing favorites with your tribesmen." She reached across the desk and caught his forearm, forcing him to look at her. "This can work, Arnook. I know it can."

Arnook sighed. His sister was one convincing woman. "Okay, I'll admit that this could work, considering Nami is aware of the plan and agrees to it, which I highly doubt. She's told me numerous times that she doesn't wish to marry. Ever, as I recall."

"And she has expressed the same to me time and time again. She's probably the only female at the North Pole who doesn't wish to be settled with a family. And then Irnik..." Anana dropped into the overstuffed leopard sealskin chair behind her. "I don't know when or how it happened, but somewhere along the line I've grown too old to understand my own children."

"I think it's a requirement of parenthood to not understand your offspring. And vice versa." With a half-hearted chuckle, Arnook shoved the pouch of coin in the pocket of his parka and rounded the desk. He sat on the edge, crossing his booted ankles. "These days, the youth don't revel in the old traditions like we did, nor do they fight change quite as much. They welcome it like the ocean welcomes a summer thaw.

"Just because you and I think it important to keep the Chiefdom in our family, your daughter probably wouldn't see it that way. We cannot expect her agree to something she is adamantly against—marriage—just to keep our heritage alive. And for that matter, I don't even think it would be right to ask, regardless of my limited future."

"Arnook—"

"No, Ana. The time for our line to end has finally come. Unless your son changes his mind, that is."

"I don't think he will. He told me he has a... lover." She spit the word out as a tear traced down the lines of her cheek. "Irnik is fully committed to whoever that man is."

"I understand." Arnook rose from the desk. Night was rapidly approaching and with this new information, he now had one more task to take care of. One he'd hoped to put off for as long as possible. "Then I'm afraid I'll have to call an emergency council meeting and give everyone the details on my health earlier than I had anticipated." In order to get the selection process going for a new paramount, Arnook knew it would be best to tell the five lesser chiefs of his tribe before he left for the Gathering. He closed his eyes, praying he'd make it back to welcome whomever they chose, but the bleeding had gotten worse these past few weeks. This might be the last time he saw the walls of his study. His last night in Capital City. "Let Irnik know that I'll still expect him to be in charge until I get back. He can at least grant me that much."

"I will," Anana whispered as she wiped her eyes, pasting a smile on her face that Arnook could tell was forced.

Guilt stabbed him like a thousand icicles. His sister had gone through hell and back that day the Fire Nation took her husband. Before long Anana would have to make the trip once more, all because of Arnook. Cursing his weakening body for this mess they were in, he headed for the door before he succumbed to tears.

"Wait!" Her hand snagged the sleeve of his parka as he swung open the door. "You'll be gone for five weeks, right?"

Arnook stopped and promptly closed the door to keep away the prying ears of his servants. "Probably more like six. Maybe seven. Why?"

"Just..." Anana let go of his coat sleeve and stepped back. Desperation shone in clearly her eyes, along with something else. The same calculating light he'd often seen in the eyes of her daughter. "Just give me some time to talk to my children about all of this before you make any decisions. Or at least before you talk to the council. _Please_," she stressed, walking into his arms. "Just give me time."

Arnook squeezed his sister tight. "Time is something I don't have a lot of, Ana."

"I won't give up on this. Or on you. Irnik just 'came out' today, as he aptly called it. Namika didn't know about his preference either. As you can imagine, we were all a little angry and—"

"I _can_ imagine." Arnook had to smile. To his sister, a 'little angry' inferred pots, pans and other flying objects were involved. "I hope no one got hurt."

She shook her head. "Just our prides. Namika and Irnik aren't talking to each other, or to me. But I hope that after things cool down some, we will all be able to sit down and discuss the matter like adults. And maybe come up with an agreement."

"Agreement?" Arnook echoed, looking down at her. Knowing the inner workings of his sister's mind, he had a feeling she already had a Plan B in the works. She was just like her daughter.

Anana nodded. "One I think that could suit us all. And when Irnik gets a taste of how it feels to be a leader, there's no way he can refuse it. I promise... by the time you return, a man _will_ be in place for the Chiefdom. I guarantee it."


	2. Chapter 1 Part 1

**Chapter 1 - Part 1  
**

Catcalls and raucous shouts erupted all at once, echoing like an avalanche off the icy walls of the Northern Water Tribe's Common Hall. The couple on the makeshift dance floor responded to the crowd's encouragement and deepened their passionate kiss. Nami plastered on her best smile and applauded the newlyweds, though what she really wanted to do was take off one of her mukluks and hurl it at them both.

Not that her foul mood was Kita and Hakoda's fault. Well, not _really_.

Nami was thrilled one of her childhood friends had finally found a man to grow old with. One who clearly loved her with every fiber in his being. Like Nami and so many other women in this city, Kita never thought she'd be lucky enough to find a husband. To see her in the arms of the leader of their southern sister tribe was nothing short of a dream come true. As Kita put it—Chief Hakoda was a miracle.

Still, the urge to throw something grew more overwhelming by the second as Nami watched their kiss go on and on. And since her preferred target, her betrothed, was nowhere to be found, the happy couple was the next best thing to lash out against—even if her actions only managed to stop them from kissing.

With an exasperated sigh, Nami reclaimed her seat at the long oak dining table flanking the head of the hall, one typically reserved for water tribe VIPs. Except for the overgenerous slathering of meat entrées, the giant table sat empty. Probably for the best. She wasn't up for socializing anyway.

Nami's stomach lurched as one of the palace servants placed a heaping platter of fried octopus in front of her. It was one of her favorite dishes but tonight the sight of it made her want to throw up. She hadn't been able to eat a thing all day and she knew the reason why.

In less than a month she, too, would be married. She'd be forced to endure the spectacle of a wedding reception very much like this one—the dancing, the celebrating... the kissing—all for a man she cared nothing for. And Nami was certain her betrothed didn't care a thing for her either.

_This was a bad idea, Nami. You should have never let Mom talk you into marrying Sinaak._

Over the mound of tentacles, which the cooks for some demented reason had arranged to look like a giant flower, Nami saw a shadow slide into the seat across from her. "Glare at that octopus any longer and it's going to burst into flames."

"Ha. Ha. You're a natural comedian, Iri." Nami scooted her chair over so she could see her visitor without having to peer over the grease in bloom. Despite her irritation, she couldn't help smiling at her only brother.

At twenty winters, Irnik had grown into quite a striking man. For tonight's celebration he'd drawn his typical shaggy locks—ones so black they were nearly blue—up into a warrior's wolf tail, along with the ceremonial braids often donned by the ranking men of their tribe. One shoulder length braid hung from each of his temples, both interspersed with beads of various shades of blue.

Though he wore his heavy anorak, a cobalt and silver fur one saved for formal occasions, the broad physique he'd earned laboring at the docks still showed prominently beneath it. Like their late father, her brother defied the tribal traditions, believing that just because he was royalty he didn't have to act the part. The fact that he held down jobs at both the docks and the armory proved it.

There was no need for him to work for money—their father had left them ample funds to survive on—but he insisted anyway, saying he preferred the physical labor. It did keep his body fit and strong, Nami had to admit. A shame Irnik wasted that body on another man when so many women in the city were completely smitten with him.

Nami winced at her own vindictiveness. Not that she cared about Irnik's sexual preference—she wanted nothing more than his happiness—but in his quest to find that happiness, his orientation ended up affecting more individuals than just him. Thus the reason for this betrothal she was caught up in.

"Shouldn't you be out there dancing with your boyfriend or something?" Nami asked, knowing his answer.

A knowing smile crept over his chiseled face. "Nice try, Nami, but I'm not telling you who he is. Not yet, anyway." Irnik's smile disappeared as he plucked a tentacle off the platter with his fingers and plopped it on his plate. "So, having second thoughts about this betrothal our gracious mother dragged you into?"

_Like you wouldn't believe._ "Not at all. What makes you think that?"

Picking up a knife and fork, he started to cut the hapless tentacle into little pieces. "Because, Sis, you're as transparent as water these days." His indigo-colored eyes shot up and he quickly added, "And I know you better than anyone. You've done nothing but mope and/or scowl throughout Kita and Hakoda's entire wedding ceremony, and now the reception. You acted the same way during Kenji and Mina's wedding last week, come to think of it. Too afraid to admit you made a mistake?"

Nami's mouth popped open. Her boot now had a new target. "You know, sometimes you're so full of—"

"Oh, believe me, I _do_ know. Much more than I want to. Here, you need to eat." He pushed the plate of mangled octopus across the table toward her. "About you and Sin. You don't have to do this. Our tribe will be fine no matter who's in charge. Having another line take the Chiefdom is not the end of the world."

Nami shoved the plate back at him. "Maybe not, but thanks to you this _will_ be the end of our line." She lowered her voice when a female servant sauntered by with another tray full of meat. Her betrothal, Irnik's penchant for the masculine gender and Arnook's failing health were all secrets to everyone except her immediate family. "You've left me no choice but to marry so we can hold onto everything we're about to lose. So _if_ I have to marry, then Sinaak is as good a man as any. Even better, actually, since you two are best friends and all. He's not that bad looking either."

What she didn't say was that Sinaak, although hands down the most delectable man at the North Pole, was a dumb as a stump when it came to politics. And he was very impressionable. Moldable. Married to him, Nami might as well be the chief of the Northern Tribe. She was more than willing to trade her happiness for the chance to be a leader, even if it could only be done covertly.

"Where is Sinaak anyway? I haven't seen him for over an hour." Nami scanned the crowded hall.

Not that she was keeping tabs on the man. As far as she was concerned, her husband-to-be could do whatever he wanted as long as it didn't cause her any trouble. But she knew tonight was the night Arnook planned to formally announce their betrothal. For him not to be here would make her look like a fool. Or like she was marrying a fool. And, besides, she had no desire to prolong the inevitable.

"He's over by the ice sculpture of Avatar Kuruk, talking to one of the guys from the Southern Tribe," Irnik answered without looking up from the plate of octopus, which he'd decided to help himself to.

Nami craned her neck in the direction of the life-size ice statue at the far end of the room. Sure enough, behind it stood the chestnut-haired Adonis that could easily put twenty sculptures of the handsome Kuruk to shame.

Sinaak.

What immediately struck Nami as odd—she must have looked that way dozens of times tonight and hadn't seen Sinaak once. Between the statue and the crowd, he was practically hidden from her view. Yet Irnik knew exactly where her betrothed was at without even looking for him.

Nami was about to ask her brother if he'd developed some sixth sense that detected hidden waterbenders when the man Sinaak was talking with shifted from behind the sculpture. The man flashed eyes she remembered to be as blue as sapphires her way and smiled right at her.

She sank back into her seat. "Oh, great."

"What'd Sin do now?"

"Don't look!"

Irnik twisted around anyway. "Please tell me he didn't waterbend a penis on Kuruk's head after all."

Nami laughed. "That would definitely shake things up, but no. He's talking to that man I met on the docks a few weeks ago, when Arnook returned from the Gathering." She felt her cheeks heat as she recalled that day. "You know, the one who knocked me into the canal on accident."

"Oh, I remember him. That was fucking hilarious," Irnik said without taking his eyes off the two men.

She delivered his shin a swift kick.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?"

"Because it wasn't hilarious. It was embarrassing."

Embarrassing because by knocking her into the cold water, the man nearly gave away her secret—that Namika, a princess descended from one of the most prominent lines of waterbenders at the North Pole—couldn't bend a drop of water. She could hardly even swim. If it wasn't for the quick actions of her brother, who had promptly fished her out of the canal, the entire dock might have found out what she'd kept from everyone her entire life.

"I think he was just as embarrassed as you. You didn't see how red his face was afterward. I've never heard a man apologize more in my life. It was kind of sweet, actually."

Nami shook her head. She hadn't noticed if the man was as mortified as her that afternoon. Nor had she noticed his apologies. All she'd thought about was getting the hell out of there with what was left of her dignity. The man—sweet or not—had made her look like a complete idiot in front of her people. And Chief Arnook.

She peeked around her brother, curious as to what story Sinaak could be telling to the tall, raven-haired Southern tribesman to make him laugh so hard. Most likely it was something about her. "I wonder what they're talking about."

When Sinaak laid a hand on the man's shoulder, Irnik turned back to his plate of tentacles. He stabbed his fork into the plate and shrugged. "Who the hell knows? Probably the same thing everyone's talking about since Arnook returned. Hakoda's plan to restore the Southern Tribe."

"Don't you mean his plan to institute a floating stud farm?"

Irnik started choking on his food.

Pushing a pitcher of water toward him, Nami continued. "Don't you dare pretend that it's not. I'm willing to bet all eleven pairs of mukluks I own that Mr. Tall and Dark, So-sweet-he-flirts-me-right-into-the-damned-canal can't wait to leave tomorrow so he can get started along with the rest of them." She gestured toward the hall full of Southern tribesmen, most of them obviously drunk. "They're nothing but a clan of hedonistic barbarians bent on bedding us all."

Still coughing, Irnik managed to bend some water from the porcelain pitcher into a glass. He took a long swig then wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "Spirits, you're as crude as any man I've met. Maybe even worse. And a little paranoid, I might add."

"Call me what you want but I'm certainly not stupid. Stick a bunch of lonely, horny watertribesmen, who've been at sea for Spirits know how long, on a ship full of women for a few months...?" She left the question open but Irnik didn't answer it and returned to stuffing octopus into his face. "Come on. You know what's bound to happen next."

"A whole lot of fun?" he said through a mouth full of tentacles.

"Babies," she corrected.

"I thought that was the plan. They have no benders down there thanks to the war. How can they hope to re-establish their tribe if they don't do some boat rocking on the way back?"

"But babies born out of wedlock? I don't care what their situation is. It's not right."

"To us it may be, but the Southern Tribe does things a bit differently than we do. Hakoda married Kita. I'm sure he expects the same from his men as well."

"But I heard she's already pregnant, which means they consummated their marriage before they took their vows." Nami had also overheard of the palace servants—one whose husband had traveled home on the same boat as Hakoda and Kita—say that the couple spent most the journey in bed. "What kind of example does that set?"

A huge grin broke Irnik's face and he glanced over to where Hakoda and Kita were dancing. "No shit? That sly dog."

"Oh he's sly all right. Hakoda and his tribe are taking advantage of the dire situation we unmarried women have found ourselves in. He's using our pain as an excuse to sow his tribe's oats."

"I don't see what the big deal is to you. _You're_ getting married."

"So? I was at that meeting Hakoda and Arnook called when they first arrived." Though Nami had already been promised to Sinaak—and had been for weeks—she still felt it her duty as the paramount chief's niece to go. "He might as well have been calling us desperate old hags."

Hakoda hadn't said anything even remotely to that tune and in fact had been very kind throughout the entire meeting. But to call a meeting in the first place, singling out all the unmarried women in front of the whole tribe instead of going about the selection process in a more discreet manner? It was like rubbing salt in an open wound.

Nami had seen the embarrassment on the women's faces when Hakoda brought up their almost nonexistent chance of finding husbands should they stay. _Like they didn't already know!_ They had to deal with the dismal reality each and every day. It angered Nami to no end that in order to snag a husband, the women of her tribe had to leave behind their friends and families—their life—and travel to the other side of the world.

"Well? Are you?" Irnik asked softly.

She'd been so lost in her thoughts, she hadn't a clue what he meant. "Am I what?"

He glanced over to Sinaak again. "Desperate?"

She stiffened in her chair. If they weren't in public at the moment, she'd be yanking her mukluk off this second, even if what Irnik said wasn't true.

Nami _was_ desperate. Desperate for something more than what she'd settled for. She didn't know what that something was, but she knew she just wanted... more.

But she couldn't say that to Irnik. He'd been looking for kinks in her armor, trying to dismantle this betrothal since day one. Nami crossed her arms in front of her. "No. Of course not."

"If you're not, then why are you marrying Sin?"

"You know the reason."

"No, I know _Mom's_ reason. Not yours. I also know quite a few single men down at the docks who would happily take Sin's place as your husband. None of them hold as high a title as he does but if all you want is to keep our line in the Chiefdom..." Irnik cut himself off, his jaw ticking in obvious anger. He'd never before voiced it, but Nami wondered if her brother was against her betrothal for reasons other than her lack of a satisfied future.

"This is about Amaruk, isn't it? You're afraid he will take over?" she asked.

Amaruk, Sinaak's father, was a lesser chief to one of the outlying villages and more importantly, a descendant from Avatar Kuruk's line. For that reason, his family was viewed as Northern Water Tribe upper class, though in actuality they weren't. But Amaruk definitely acted the part. Whenever he visited Capital City, he was always criticizing Irnik and the way he chucked tradition. The two were at each other's throats so often, it surprised Nami that Sinaak and Irnik could remain such good friends.

Her brother despised Amaruk, that much was clear, but maybe Irnik's hatred went much deeper than she realized.

"Damn it, Nami, you could marry anyone. Sin doesn't even love you. He..." Irnik ran his hands through his hair, forgetting that it was up in a wolf tail and ended up pulling most the strands loose. "Shit! I can't do this. I can't stay here and watch this sham."

He abruptly rose from his chair, in the process bumping his knees against the table. His half-finished glass of water tipped and landed in his plate but he made no move to clean up his mess. Instead he pulled the leather tie that held his wolf tail in place out of his hair and tossed it to the table. "Look, Sis, I'm sorry. I tried but this is too much for me right now. I'll be up in my room if you need me."

Nami watched her disheveled brother as he stormed from the Common Hall, all the while wondering what the hell that was all about.


	3. Chapter 1 Part 2

**Water Tribe Romance 2**

**Chapter 1 Part 2  
**

"... And since that day, I make it a point to never leave home without a spare pair of underwear. I usually carry them inside my..."

Bato nodded and smiled at the Northern Water Tribesman next to him who was telling some ridiculous story about a polar bear and his undergarments. Bato couldn't remember his name—it started with an S, that much he did recall—but the small detail of what this brown-haired, too-handsome-for-his-own-good waterbender was called was unimportant.

What _was_ important was that Bato keep pretending to listen to whatever nonsense this young man was spewing. The waterbender had done nothing but babble on about himself for the better part of the last half hour, but putting up with his stories were a small price to pay for this hiding spot.

Well, what _used_ to be a hiding spot. Somehow, Bato had been found out, probably thanks to this man's animated, loud-mouthed storytelling. Even so, he continued to eye who he'd been hiding from—the woman on the other side of the Common Hall.

Princess Namika.

Sitting by herself behind a massive table that nearly swallowed up her dainty frame, the raven-haired beauty fixed her lavender eyes on the retreating back of the tall warrior who'd just left her table. Even from this distance, Bato could see confusion lining her brow as she shifted her stare towards the crowd, her eyes seeming to focus not on the people in front of her but beyond, as if she was looking at them but not quite seeing.

From the way the warrior had stormed off, Bato could only conclude that, whoever the man was, he'd said something to upset her. As he watched that lost expression pull over her face—the same one that had enraptured Bato when he first saw Namika—he was struck with the overwhelming urge to cross the room and comfort her. Hold her.

Kiss her.

He groaned at the idea of striding across the room and claiming those lush lips of hers in front of the entire tribe. Would she don the demure ice queen façade she was known for and brush off his advances? Or would she kiss him back and then breathlessly beg him to carry her off to his room so he could worship her body all night long? As much as Bato wanted to find out the answer, and now, every thread of common sense he owned screamed that doing so would be a mistake.

As Namika settled back in her chair, she glanced Bato's way once more. Instead of trying to hide like she'd done before, she gave him a glare that was icier than the sculpture of Avatar Kuruk he stood next to. Being the recipient of her fury sent shivers skittering through his body that, oddly, went straight to his groin.

With another groan, Bato slipped out of her view and further behind the sculpture, his cock rivaling the ice in its hardness. If his body reacted this way to Namika from one look across a crowded room, it would definitely be an enormous mistake to talk to her again. Especially when Bato wanted to do much more than just talk. And especially when she was obviously still pissed at him.

Not that Bato could blame her. After all, he had humiliated her in front of her entire tribe two weeks ago...

He and the other Southern Tribesmen had just arrived at the North Pole and were disembarking from their three week ocean journey from the Fire Nation. With Arnook wanting to return home as soon as possible, Hakoda had made haste, stopping only once for a two hour resupply in an Earth Kingdom port. Not nearly long enough for Bato to find a woman and sate his lusts, which were growing out of control by the day. Listening to Hakoda and Kita's enthusiastic lovemaking night after night in the cabin next to his only exasperated his body's frustrations. Needless to say, by the time his ship's ramp was lowered to the icy docks of Capital City, Bato's libido was in overdrive.

He'd spotted Namika the instant he stepped off his boat and was drawn to her immediately. Not because of the ruthless hard-on he'd been carrying. Nor at how incredibly beautiful she was. It was her standing alone on the docks in her white fur parka with despair entrenched in her deep indigo eyes. She reminded Bato of a lost seal pup. His protective instincts had kicked in immediately and he set out to find her.

Bato soon figured that Namika wanted to remain lost. He'd thrown her all his best lines but she'd been indifferent to every one of them, which never happened. His confidence wavering, Bato had decided to up the guns and whip out his fail-safe woman magnet—his burn scars.

At the mention of his scars, however, she'd given him a cold glance and simply replied, "Oh, that's nice."

It wasn't as much as her response, but the apathy in her tone that had both shocked and infuriated him. Taking her words as a challenge—his scars _weren't_ nice, damn it!—Bato began to remove his glove to prove her wrong. But in his frustration to do so, he yanked his glove off so forcefully he ended up elbowing her in the ribs, which in turn made her lose her balance on the icy dock and fall into the canal.

If Bato's stellar move wasn't enough to make him want to throw himself in front of a starving moose-lion, the chaos that ensued definitely was. The entire dock erupted in a frenzy of panic, and from all directions men started shoving him out of the way to rush to the woman's aid like she was royalty. When he heard one of the men shouting her name, he realized then—she was. He'd been flirting with none other than Princess Namika, the very much _off-limits_ niece of Chief Arnook...

So the reason why Bato had been hiding out all evening behind this statue of Kuruk, which now had a giant phallus sticking out of the back of his head. Bato wondered what the long passed Avatar would think of his newest 'ability.' Or how he would use it.

A few amusing ideas were flitting through Bato's mind when he felt the over-talkative waterbender's hand on his shoulder. He shifted his focus back on the man's words in time to hear him say, "So, you up for it?"

Bato smirked at the double meaning. He was _definitely_ up—for the woman across the room that is—but he didn't think the state of his penis was what the waterbender was referring to.

"I'm sorry. I think I've indulged in one too many vodkas. What did you just say?" Bato didn't even flinch at the lie. He _had_ indulged, but years of drinking his past away had tempered his body so much that after throwing back a half dozen shots, all he felt was pleasantly buzzed. Pleasantly distanced from reality. Perfect.

With a chuckle that sounded too pleased to Bato's ears, the waterbender moved closer. His breath reeked of fish and alcohol when he whispered, "My lover and I are looking for a third tonight. Are you up for it?"

If Bato's jaw dropped any lower, it would've frozen to the floor. A third. His penis was what the man had been referring to after all.

Even in his slightly inebriated, uninhibited and sex-starved condition, Bato's mind barely touched on the man's offer. Threesomes had never been his thing. As kinky as they sounded, the thought of getting naked with another man—especially _this_ man—just to pleasure a woman made his erection flag faster than a buck naked plunge into the ocean in the middle of a winter storm.

Call it masculine pride, nervousness over how another man would react to his scars, or pure caveman selfishness, but if a woman didn't think one man was enough to satisfy her needs, Bato didn't want to have any part of her. When he made love to a woman, he wanted to possess her body entirely, not just half of it. It was all or nothing. So as hard up for sex as Bato currently was, sharing was not in the cards, not even for a fling with a man and woman he'd never see again in his life.

Bato smiled as politely as he could, when all he wanted to do was put some serious distance between himself and the waterbender. For all he knew, ménages were normal game for the North Pole. "I'm afraid I'm too old for those tricks anymore. But maybe one of the other, younger Southern tribesmen would be up for your proposal." Bato nodded to the dance floor. "I appreciate the offer, though."

The waterbender narrowed his silver-grey eyes on Bato before he surveyed the room, as if already searching for a replacement. Those cold eyes landed on Namika, who was now staring curiously at both men. She couldn't possibly hear them over the music and the crowd, but Bato got the distinct feeling that she knew what they were discussing. A combination of heated arousal and cold fury pumped in his veins at the possibility of her being the third corner of this triangle.

Out of sheer jealousy that this... this _kid_ was taking the princess to his bed regularly, Bato nearly said yes solely for a chance to be with the woman who'd haunted his fantasies for the past two weeks. To show her what a real man could do for her.

But he didn't get the chance when the waterbender said, "No. It's either you or it's no one. I'll be around. Let me know if you change your mind."

Then, after giving Bato a lengthy once over, the man sauntered off without another word. Bato didn't know what to think as he watched the waterbender disappear into the crowd.

So he chose not to think. Thinking at this point would get him nowhere. But _doing_ would. Spying a servant passing by with a fresh tray of vodka shots, Bato plucked two glasses off the tray and downed them both.

With a sigh, he set the upended the empty glasses on the pedestal that the doubly endowed Kuruk was perched upon. Whether from being under the midnight sun for too long, or from being away at war for over two years—away from the normalcy of tribal life, if one could call what just happened _normal_—Bato had never felt more out of his element than when he crossed the sea wall into the North Pole two weeks ago. He needed to get out of here. He needed to get home.

Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.


End file.
